


Prince of Hearts

by Shadowcatxx



Category: One Piece
Genre: (But They Don't Know They Are), Adventure, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Being Lost, Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Gap Filler, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28083546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcatxx/pseuds/Shadowcatxx
Summary: "They say that when someone gives you their heart for safekeeping, it’s a declaration of love. This was not one of those stories, Sanji thought, as Trafalgar Law pushed Zoro’s disembodied and still beating heart into his hands."Or, when a harmless bet goes wrong, Sanji finds himself the keeper and protector of Zoro's heart—literally. Lost on an unknown island, he has to retrieve the errant swordsman and return his heart before it's too late.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 19
Kudos: 134





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheFreakZone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFreakZone/gifts).



> "One Piece" — Eiichiro Oda
> 
> Please excuse my taking liberties with some canon material and character relationships. This story is set after the events of the Punk Hazard arc and contains spoilers for the canon up to that point. A big thank-you to TheFreakZone: first for humouring this idea; and then for adding to it. :) And thank-you, also, to my readers for your time and interest. I hope you enjoy! :D

**NEW WORLD**

**UNKNOWN ISLAND**

They say that when someone gives you their heart for safekeeping, it’s a declaration of love.

This was not one of those stories, Sanji thought, as Trafalgar Law pushed Zoro’s disembodied and still beating heart into his hands.

“ _Don’t lose that_!” yelled Law, taking off in the opposite direction.

Sanji opened his mouth to protest, but the surgeon was already gone. Instead, he looked down at the caged organ in his hands and scowled.

“Gross,” he said.

* * *

**EN ROUTE TO DRESSROSA**

**ONE HOUR AGO**

The _Thousand Sunny_ sliced quietly through a sea so glassy it reflected the starry night sky. Sanji smiled as he glanced out the window, pausing in his breakfast prep to admire the view of Punk Hazard shrinking in the distance. His galley was a peaceful sanctuary now that most of the crew—and four additional guests—were soundly asleep, taking some time to rest before reaching Dressrosa. Sanji, himself, was tired from the excitement of Punk Hazard, but he stifled a yawn and continued chopping. The crew—and guests—would need their strength to face the Donquixote family, and the best way to regain one’s strength was with a healthy, hardy meal.

“Sanji?”

Sanji turned to find Usopp standing in the doorway, grinning.

“Yes, yes, I’ll make you a snack,” Sanji said, putting down his knife. Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Kin’emon were taking a shift guarding the Sunny while everyone else slept, and Sanji had promised them a delicious nighttime treat. He reached for the kettle, but stopped when Usopp said:

“Can I borrow five-thousand beli?”

Sanji blinked. “Um, no? What do you need five-thousand beli for in the middle of the night?”

“Come on, I’ll show you,” said Usopp in retreat.

Sanji sighed and followed him, lighting a cigarette as he did. On-deck, the other _guards_ were huddled in a conspicuous circle, outside of which stood Trafalgar Law.

“I thought you were sleeping?” Sanji asked, coming to stand beside him.

Law shrugged, but it was stiff. His feigned nonchalance was undermined by his alert posture and calculating expression, as if his mind was on something else: the captured Caesar Clown, the S.A.D. chemical and production of SMILEs, the former warlord Donquixote Doflamingo… Sanji didn’t blame Law for seeking a distraction. He wouldn’t have been able to sleep either if such weights rested on his shoulders.

“Oh, Sanji!” said Chopper, spotting him. “We just bet Tra-guy that he can’t take out someone’s heart without them knowing it.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, have fun with that,” Sanji waved in dismissal. “I’m going back to—”

“He said he could do it, and said we could choose _anyone_ to prove it on, so we chose Zoro.”

Sanji was already walking back to the galley, but he stopped suddenly when he heard the swordsman’s name. “You bet _Zoro_ ’s heart?” He smiled at his crewmates in mock-pity. “You’re all going to lose your money if you bet that’ll work.”

“Nope!” said Usopp confidently. “I bet on Tra-guy, because Zoro can sleep through literally anything. I’ve seen him get tossed around the deck in a storm without waking up!”

Sanji shook his head. “The man can _sense_ danger. He’ll definitely wake up if you try to remove his heart.”

“You seem very sure of that, Blackleg-ya,” Law challenged, his lips curling into a sly grin.

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the Heart Pirates’ captain. Did Law really think he could surgically remove one of Roronoa Zoro’s vital organs without waking him? Pirate Hunter Zoro, protégé—sorry, _rival_ —of Dracule Mihawk, First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the man determined to become the strongest swordsman in the world? _That_ Zoro? Sanji scoffed at Law, who was obviously underestimating his target.

“Alright, fine,” he accepted, lowering his cigarette and blowing-out smoke. “Five-thousand beli says you can’t remove the _marimo’_ s heart before he wakes up.”

Forget taking Zoro’s heart. The swordsman would wake the instant he felt threatened; the instant Law got too close with his malicious intent.

But Law didn’t look worried. (And why should he? They weren’t betting big money.) And neither did Usopp, who was, Sanji had to admit, quite good at reading people.

But still, the target for Law’s malpractice was _Zoro_ , so Sanji shrugged off his doubts and emptied his pockets.

“Yeah, Sanji-bro!” said Franky, giving Sanji a thumb’s up in support.

Because Sanji was not a self-proclaimed liar, an excitable reindeer, a giant cyborg, or a samurai newcomer to the crew, he was chosen to accompany Law and witness his theft. He puffed on his cigarette while he waited for Law to commence climbing to the crow’s nest, where Zoro slept, but the man just stood there, calculating. Sanji smirked.

“See? I told you, he’ll sense it the second you—”

Law grabbed Sanji’s forearm and summoned the powers of his _Ope Ope no Mi_.

“ _ROOM_ ,” he said, creating a large, impenetrable barrier around them. Then: “ _Shambles_!”

Sanji felt a sudden jerk, and then he was standing inside the dark, quiet crow’s nest with Law beside him and a slumbering swordsman at his feet.

Zoro slept sitting, his back braced against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, a defensive posture if ever Sanji had seen one. His head was bowed, cocked gently to one side, his chin resting on his chest, which rose and fell with every slow, rhythmic breath. His face—so reserved when awake—looked peaceful, now; the lines smooth and the muscles relaxed. The lack of disapproval or intimidation or wicked glee made him look younger than his twenty-one years; or, maybe just more harmless. _Harmless—_? _Ha_! Zoro’s three sheathed swords rested against one muscular shoulder, wrapped in a subconscious hug like a pirate protecting his most precious treasures. Besides, his jaw was too chiselled and his damaged eye was too scarred to misinterpret him as anything but threatening, even when asleep.

The moment the two intruders landed, Zoro’s fingers twitched and his brow creased. Sanji smirked sideways at Law, inviting him to proceed.

Law hesitated, but, to his credit, it was only for a second. Maintaining complete control within his Room, he extended his hand and whispered: “ _Takt._ ” Gently and slowly, Zoro’s arms uncrossed and relaxed at his sides, as if by marionette strings. There was an instant when the three swords merely hovered in the air beside him, but Law quickly conducted them back into their owner’s hands. It was clever, Sanji admitted, because Zoro would’ve immediately felt something amiss without the presence of his swords. As such, his tension eased as his fingers habitually closed around the sheaths, leaving his body limp and his chest unguarded.

_Wake up_! Sanji urged, biting down on his cigarette.

Beside him, it was Law’s turn to smirk. He took a step forward, then crouched down.

_Come on_ , marimo, _you’re better than this_! _Wake up_!

Law placed his ungloved hand flat against Zoro’s bare chest, and said: “ _Mes_.” Then he pulled back and stood with the swordsman’s amputated heart glistening in his hand.

The swordsman, himself, didn’t wake. He didn’t stir. He didn’t seem to be aware at all that he was now at the mercy of The Surgeon of Death.

And it upset Sanji. And he didn’t know why. He was inclined to blame Law, who had just put Zoro in a great deal of danger; and Zoro, too, for letting himself be put in danger. Why hadn’t he woken up? He had barely exerted himself on Punk Hazard; he couldn’t be _that_ tired. Sanji fought the urge to kick him.

“Disappointed?” Law asked quietly.

Sanji scowled at him. “Disappointed in myself for giving the _marimo_ credit,” he lied.

Law cocked an eyebrow at him, dubious. In his palm, Zoro’s heart beat slowly and steadily and vulnerably. Sanji didn’t like it. It was wet and ugly and seeing it exposed made him queasy with nerves. How much did they really know about Trafalgar Law, anyway? Luffy might trust him, but a temporary pirate alliance wasn’t enough to convince Sanji, especially not when said pirate held his crewmate’s life in his hand. A pirate who was looking between he and Zoro with an expression that could almost be described as bemused. Altogether it made Sanji feel very uncomfortable.

“Okay, ha, ha—you win,” he admitted, forcing a smile in surrender. “I clearly didn’t give _you_ enough credit. It’s a very cool trick. Now, put it back.”

Law didn’t move, but his smirk sharpened.

Sanji swallowed and shrugged, heavy with tension. “I mean, you’ve proven your point. And it’s super gross.” He indicated the beating heart. “Just put it back and let’s go before he wakes up. I’m not in the mood for angry idiots. Besides, I have to get back to the galley.

“I’ll make you a snack,” he offered, but Law’s sly amusement only grew.

“So, err… are you going to put it back? Tra—?”

The surgeon tossed Zoro’s heart gently in the air, then caught it. Sanji’s heart did an involuntary somersault in reply. “Not yet,” Law said, then grabbed Sanji’s arm before he could protest.

Another “ _Shambles_!” and they were back on the deck.

There was a gasp of awed appreciation, a couple wails of defeat, and a sniper’s triumphant speech. No one else seemed concerned as money exchanged hands; in fact, it was lighthearted despite the macabre prize on display. Chopper bounced at Law’s side, asking eager questions to a fellow medical practitioner, while Franky pondered the mechanics of Devil Fruit assisted vivisection, and Kin’emon nodded attentively at Usopp’s continued bragging. Sanji was the only one who stood apart, seemingly the only one unnerved by Law’s demonstration of power. He felt like a fox in the den of a wolf, his heart racing and his hackles raised. Law kept tossing Zoro’s heart up playfully as he talked, catching it easily each time, and each time Sanji fought the instinct to snatch it away from him.

With considerable effort, he turned his back on the party and returned to the galley. He lit a fresh cigarette and puffed in agitation as he chopped.

_He’s our ally. Luffy trusts him. He’s just playing. And it’s only Zoro’s heart_ , _anyway._

The knife stilled in his hand.

_Only Zoro’s heart_.

Suddenly, the floor beneath his feet shuddered violently and Sanji stumbled, caught unprepared. The ship tipped sideways, then came to a lopsided stop.

_What the hell_?

Leaving the knife and food on the counter, he hurried out on-deck to find himself encased in a dense fog and a tropic heat. He could barely see the shapes of his crewmates, but he heard Franky’s voice:

“…stuck on a sandbar,” he was saying.

Sanji walked to the bulkhead and squinted through the fog. A long shoreline stretched out in either direction, thick with jagged palms and lush vegetation. A spring island.

_Oh no_ , he thought, feeling the fingers of trepidation creep over him. _If Luffy sees this_ , _he’ll_ —

“AN ISLAND!” shouted the captain.

* * *

**UNKNOWN ISLAND**

_Strawhat-ya_! We can’t stop here, we—”

“ _Yahoo_!” came Luffy’s joyful voice. A moment later there was a sucking smack of feet on wet sand, and then the sounds of happy splashing in the surf.

“ _Luffy_!” said Nami angrily, somewhere to Sanji’s right. “Don’t just go running off in the dark! We don’t know anything about this island!”

“ _Where is everyone_?”

“ _I can’t see anything in this fog_! _Is that—Oh, sorry Robin_.”

“ _That’s okay_ , _Usopp_.”

“ _Momonosuke_!”

“ _Franky Nipple Light_!” shouted Franky.

A moment later, two bright beams of light cut through the fog, nearly blinding Sanji. The disoriented crew gathered around the cyborg, all except for Luffy, who was commentating his findings below. Sanji ended up between Nami, who was still wearing her bed clothes and holding Momonosuke, and Brook, who was belatedly realizing that he didn’t need eyes to see.

“Is everyone here?” Usopp asked, pointing at each body he counted.

There were some brief murmurs of confirmation and a nodding consensus, when suddenly Law’s eyes went wide.

“Wait,” he said, whipping his head from left-to-right. “Where’s Caesar?”

“ _Hey_ , _guys_?” called Luffy.

“Damn it,” Law cursed. Sanji followed his frantic search, but soon lost track of him in the fog.

“ _Guys_!” said Luffy, again. “ _Look_! _People_!”

“This island is inhabited?” asked Nami.

“Is there a town?” asked Usopp.

“Is that a _cannonball_?” asked Brook, seconds before impact.

_BOOM_!

A bright, choking explosion lit the sky before two cleanly severed cannonball halves fell into the water, along with the swordsman who’d cut them.

Zoro landed on the sandbar with a wet smack, his swords drawn. Sanji barely had time to register what had happened before more cannonballs fired, flying toward them with a threatening whistle and a climactic explosion, and pandemonium broke out on the ship.

“ _Luffy_! _Zoro_!” Nami yelled down to them. “ _Do something about that_!”

“We’re sitting ducks here!” said Usopp, panicking. “We need to get Sunny back in the water!

“I’m SUPER on it, Usopp-bro!”

Sanji turned to help, but tripped over Chopper, then crashed into Kin’emon. _Damn it_! he thought. _Is this fog getting thicker_? It felt—heavy, as if gravity had increased and was pushing down on him. He engaged his Observation Haki, but it was like coming up against a wall. _What the hell_? Without Franky’s light, he was blind. With cannonballs flying and explosions all around him, he was half-deaf. He backed up clumsily, unable to keep his footing—which was very unlike him—and bumped into Robin. He would have fallen if not for the arms of her _Hana Hana no Mi_.

“Thanks, Robin-chan! What _is_ this stuff?” he shouted over the barrage.

“I’m not certain,” she said, thoughtfully waving a hand through the dense, white fog. “Could it be a manmade chemical, I wonder?”

Sanji hoped not. He had had enough of chemicals on Punk Hazard.

“ _ROOM_.”

Suddenly, Law reappeared in a personal bubble of clean, clear air. He looked stricken. “Where is Caesar?” he demanded, angry in panic.

“I don’t know—” Sanji began, but stopped when a faint, familiar laugh sounded between blasts.

“ _Shurororo_ …”

“The beach!” Sanji pointed in a vague direction.

“He’s escaping!” said Law.

They leapt overboard together and landed in the surf. Saltwater filled Sanji’s shoes and soaked the bottom of his trousers, but the discomfort was soon forgotten in the maelstrom of battle. The hostile islanders had stormed the beach, their dozens of voices swelling like a great battle-cry. Firearms seemed to be their weapons of choice, and each gunshot and cannon blast added to the debilitating cacophony. Every so often, Sanji heard a faint _Gomu Gomu_ —! or a _Santoryu_ something-or-other, but he couldn’t see his crewmates, or even sense where they were. Outside of Law’s Room, there was nothing but a wall of blind sound.

 _What the hell is wrong with my Haki_?

“ _Shurororo_ …”

Law grit his teeth and clenched his sword. Then—almost in afterthought—he pulled Zoro’s disembodied and still beating heart from his pocket and pushed it unceremoniously into Sanji’s hands.

“ _Don’t lost that_!” he yelled, and took off running in Caesar’s direction.

* * *

Gross,” said Sanji, but he didn’t have time to elaborate.

“ _Usopp Torch_!”

A handheld torch smacked Sanji in the back of the head, then fell to the sand. He retrieved it and clicked it on, then pointed it back at the ship, which illuminated a smiling, waving Usopp.

“Light!” he shouted proudly.

Light, indeed. Following the torch’s bright beam to the shore, Sanji put Zoro’s heart into his inner breast-pocket and began running—

“ _Ah_! _Ugh_!” He wriggled, tripping a bit when he felt the swordsman’s heart beat against his. _Oh_ , _that’s weird. Oh no_. _Gross_ , _gross_ , _gross_! A shiver of revulsion ran down his spine, but as long as the heart was beating he knew that Zoro was alive. That was a small comfort, at least, since he couldn’t find either of his wayward crewmates. Grimacing, he increased his pace, while at the same time planning the lecture he would give Law the next time they met, starting with: _Why me_?!

Fortunately, Sanji saw the hostile locals before they saw him. He stumbled upon three men arming a cannon, preparing another volley aimed at the Sunny, and quickly dispatched them all with an elegant display of fiery kicks.

“ _Luffy_!” he called to no avail. Ah well, these were hardly powerful adversaries; he needn’t worry about Luffy’s well-being. The only real threat they posed was to the structural integrity of the Sunny, which is why Sanji decided to prioritize the cannons. The enemy—predictably—did not like that.

“ _Seriously_ ,” he snapped, dodging bullets, “ _what did we ever do to you_?

“ _Diable Jambe_!” he attacked, hoping he didn’t hit his own allies in the fog.

He was relieved when he finally heard a call to retreat and the enemy’s forces fell back, disappearing into the jungle. His spatial awareness was compromised by the fog, and, though the torch did help, it could only provide a very narrow field of vision. Sanji found himself relying on instincts and reflexes more than anything, which felt regressive since learning Haki, but he mentally thanked Zeff—again—for his uncouth upbringing. With bullets and cannonballs flying about, dodging had been more important than attacking in this skirmish—

—unless you were Luffy, of course, whose rubber body deflected projectiles like a ping-pong paddle. As such, the captain didn’t have a scratch on him.

“ _Sanji_!” he called cheerfully, trotting toward the torch’s light.

“Where’s Zoro?” Sanji asked.

Luffy looked left, then right. Then he shrugged, unconcerned. Sanji sighed.

“I have his heart,” he said, still disturbed by the double heartbeat at this breast.

“Awe, that’s nice.”

“Not like that, idiot!” Sanji snapped, reddening. “I literally have his—”

“Tra-guy!” Luffy shouted suddenly. He waved both arms in the air, then sprinted off before Sanji could grab him.

“Luffy, wait! We should stay together!” he called.

He heard Law’s voice—or rather, he heard Law’s _gasp_ : “ _Strawhat-ya—_!” and then the sound of two bodies colliding. Luffy laughed; Law groaned. Sanji followed the commotion, but couldn’t see them. His feet sunk unhelpfully into the sucking sand and he tripped over a rock. “ _Wait_!” he shouted, but his allies’ voices were growing fainter and farther away, now safely ensconced in the surgeon’s Room, and soon the cook was alone.

Again, he tried to use Haki, and again it failed. He couldn’t see a thing and didn’t know where he was.

_This must be what it’s like to be the_ marimo _all the time._

He made a noise of annoyance—“ _tch_!”—sat down on a rock, and lit a cigarette. He would just have to wait for the fog to dissipate and then reunite with the crew, confident the Sunny would be safe and that Caesar would be retrieved. He only hoped that he didn’t have to wait until sunrise, because every minute wasted was time for the Donquixote family to plot. Sanji didn’t know what Law’s connection was to the former warlord, but he didn’t trust it. He didn’t like that Law seemed to be wrapped in secrets and personal grudges. He was a clever man, to be sure, the kind who formulated elaborate plans that stayed five steps ahead of his enemies and changed based on expected contingencies, but Sanji didn’t trust him the way he trusted Luffy, who planned nothing, and whose backup strategy was simply: hit harder. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but very little about his crew _did_ make sense. Very little about any family made sense, he supposed, but that didn’t mean you didn’t love them. There was no one whom Sanji would rather follow than Luffy, and no one he would rather live with, sail with, and fight with than his _nakama_.

“ _Purururu_. _Purururu_.”

Sanji plucked the Baby Den Den Mushi from his pocket. “Hello?”

“ _Sanji-kun_?” said Nami’s voice.

“Yes, Nami-san! I’m here, no need to worry!”

“ _Is Zoro with you_?”

“No. Why would he be?”

Nami sighed. “ _Everyone is back now except for the two of you. I was hoping you were together._ ”

“Ah well, what can you do? I’ll try to find my way back now—”

“ _Sanji-kun_ ,” she interrupted in a reprimanding tone. He could picture her index-finger wagging at him. “ _You need to find Zoro and bring him back_.”

“What? But _Nami-swan_!” he whined. “That’s impossible! I can’t see anything in this fog—I don’t even know how big this island is! That directionless idiot could be anywhere!”

“ _Thank-you_ , _Sanji-kun_ ,” she said, ignoring him. “ _Try not to take too long_!”

“Nami, wait—!

“Damn it,” he cursed, stuffing the sleeping Den Den Mushi back into his trouser pocket. Did they really think he could singlehandedly find the wandering _marimo_ in such a dense fog on an unknown jungle island? And should he be flattered by their faith in him, or annoyed by it?

“Okay,” he said aloud, standing up in resignation. He removed Zoro’s heart from his pocket and held it in his outstretched hand like a beacon, urging it to give some sign of its owner. “Which way?” he asked, turning from left-to-right. “Did he go this way? Or, maybe this way—?” He shook the caged heart a little, but nothing happened. It kept on beating slow and steady, indicating nothing except that Zoro’s resting heartrate was very low. Eventually, Sanji gave up, returned the swordsman’s heart to his breast-pocket—grimacing as he did—lit another cigarette, and followed the carnage of bodies into the jungle, Usopp’s torch in hand.

* * *

 _ZO-RO_!

“ _MA-RI-MO_!

“ _Shit-swordsman_! _Where are you_ , _you pathetic lost child_?” Sanji called, unafraid of drawing attention.

It was sweltering in the jungle, the air heavy with humidity. Sanji had long since unbuttoned his suit jacket, letting it hang open. Now, he tugged at his collar, pulling off his tie and undoing the top buttons of his shirt. The fine fabric peeled away from his warm, sweaty skin and made him grimace. The sooner he found Zoro, the sooner he could return to the ship and have a bath. He would need it after this detour into the wilderness. But at least the fog wasn’t as dense in the jungle, and for that he was grateful. It hung at his feet, low and damp, obstructing the ground, but he no longer needed the torch to see. It was dark, but he could hear the jungle stirring from slumber in anticipation of dawn.

_Where is that damn idiot_? he thought, tired and hungry. The last thing he wanted to be doing was searching for the errant swordsman in the heat of a tropical island.

“ _ZO-RO_!” he called again, cupping his hands to project his voice.

“What?”

Sanji jumped in surprise, then spun around with his leg poised to attack. Zoro merely stared at him.

“Oh my God, how long have you been standing there?” Sanji gasped, his heart racing.

Zoro shrugged. “Not long.”

The swordsman was standing ten metres away, leaning against a tree with his bare arms crossed over his bare chest. His green coat hung at his waist with his three swords, and his tan skin was slick with sweat and freckled with blood—presumably not his own. He looked incredibly at-ease for a man who had a gaping black hole where his heart should’ve been. Sanji wondered if he’d even noticed it was missing. He wondered it out loud, which made Zoro’s lips curl in a sneer.

“Of course I noticed!” he snarled. “What do you think I am, an idiot?”

Sanji raised an eyebrow. “We only have, like, an hour before dawn. Do you really want to get into that right now?”

“Fuck off, Cook.”

Sanji rolled his eyes, secretly glad for the easy banter. It was familiar and—fun. He always had fun teasing his stoic crewmate. To further his point, he pulled Zoro’s heart out of his pocket and held it ceremoniously aloft, grinning like a satisfied housecat. He waited for the swordsman’s gasp of surprise, or shout of angry dismay. He waited for him to surrender and proclaim Sanji the victor of this encounter, but he ended up disappointed. Zoro didn’t budge and his casual expression didn’t change, despite Sanji holding his life in his hand. If anything, he looked mildly curious about the disembodied heart, but nowhere near concerned.

“Well—?” Sanji pressed, annoyed by Zoro’s lacking reaction. “Aren’t you going to ask how I got it?”

Again, Zoro shrugged.

“Don’t you want it back?”

Zoro didn’t answer. Instead, he said: “It was a pirate crew that attacked us on the beach. They use long-range weapons, mostly firearms. The captain has a musket with a bayonet as long as a spear. We couldn’t get anywhere near him in that fog. Not without Haki. And we couldn’t see enough to use our own long-range attacks. They’re not strong, but they use the terrain and weather to their advantage.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sanji dismissed. “We’re leaving as soon as you and I get back to the Sunny.

“You have no idea where that is, do you?” he added, when Zoro didn’t reply.

The swordsman scowled. “Do _you_?”

“I—yes,” Sanji lied. “Better than you, anyway. Once we’re back on the beach, we’ll see Sunny’s lights through the fog, so let’s go. Or, do I need to drag you back?”

“ _Heh_ , as if you could, Cook.”

“Don’t make me,” Sanji warned, holding Zoro’s heart up in threat, but the swordsman remained unmoved by the cook’s theatrics. Instead, he raised a hand for it, and Sanji tossed it across the distance between them. “ _Catch_!”

“ _Screeech_!”

Just as Zoro’s caged heart was falling in an arc toward his hand, a pair of talons snatched it midair. The bird gave a loud, triumphant squawk and flew off.

Sanji and Zoro were left staring at each other in dumbfounded disbelief for a second, then Zoro’s expression finally changed. He cried-out and clutched the hole in his chest, falling to his knees in pain: “ _Aa-ah_!”

Sanji started toward him in reflex, but stopped abruptly. He had seen Law use this method of torture before, hurting the owner by damaging their disembodied heart.

_That bird’s talons are ripping into his heart_!

“I’ll get it back!” he promised, rapidly changing direction. The bird was fast, but so was he. He took off like a bullet in hot pursuit of the avian thief, berating himself as he did:

_Stupid_! _Stupid_! He suddenly felt horrible about his teasing, making a mockery of a dangerous situation. The guilt came crashing back as he leapt through the trees: guilt for letting the surgery be performed in the first place, and feeling responsible now for getting Zoro’s heart back. Zoro couldn’t do it himself, after all; not keeled over as he was. All the time Sanji had been suspicious of Law’s intentions, but Law had entrusted the swordsman’s heart to _him_ , and he had _lost it_ all for a petty joke! All he could do now was give chase and hope to God the bird wasn’t a carnivore that planned on eating—

_Oh God_ , _no._

Sanji didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself if he lost Zoro—the would-be greatest swordsman in the world—because of a jungle bird’s appetite.

“ _I’ll make barbeque out of you_ , _you damn_ _scavenger_!” he shouted, propelling himself as fast as he could. “ _I’ll wring your neck_ , _you glorified chicken_!”

“ _Screeech_!” it called, flying higher.

Sanji Sky Walked to follow until he was close enough to deliver a blow: “ _Jabot_ —!”

A mental-picture of Zoro—on his knees, coughing blood—stilled his attack. At the last moment, he redirected his kick and twisted his body around. The blast struck a tree, surprising the bird, which squawked loudly and flew into Sanji’s outstretched hand. His fingers closed around colourful plumage as he dragged it back down to the ground. “I’ll be taking this,” he said, reaching for Zoro’s heart—

Except, Zoro’s heart wasn’t there. The bird’s talons were empty.

Sanji frantically tossed the bird aside, letting it fly off, and retraced his steps, thinking it must have dropped the heart when he attacked. He scanned the foggy ground and finally spotted the reflective cage lodged in the nook of two low-hanging branches.

However, his relief was short-lived. A spotted lizard was tasting the heart with its tongue, drawn by the scent of warm, live flesh.

“ _Ah_! _No—_! _Get away_!” Sanji yelled, waving his arms to scare it off.

The lizard saw him, took Zoro’s heart in its unhinged jaw, and scurried off along the jungle floor.

Sanji darted after it back the way he had come, praying the lizard didn’t swallow. He didn’t want to think of what would happen to Zoro if his heart was swallowed whole. Would he have time to retrieve it before it was digested? Or, would the lizard chew first?

_Oh God_ , _why me_? The sweat covering him felt cold, now, as panic seized him. _I’m sorry_ , _Zoro. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry_!

“ _Come—back—here—_!”

Sanji sprang like a cat and landed hard on his stomach, cutting his chin on a rock, but he had managed to grab the lizard around its stomach and was squeezing it, hard. It struggled and lashed its long tail at him, then spit-up Zoro’s heart so that it could turn and sink it’s razor-sharp teeth into his arm. “ _Ow—_!” Sanji angrily flung the creature over his shoulder, listening to the patter of its feet as it hurried away. He reached for Zoro’s heart and snatched it back against his chest, then scrambled into a defensive sitting position and let out a sigh.

For a while, he just sat on the ground, cradling Zoro’s heart protectively. It didn’t matter that it was wet with saliva and punctured by claws. It didn’t matter that he was holding an amputated organ against his bare skin. All that mattered was the warm, steady beat that proved it—Zoro—was still alive.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, waiting for his own heart to stop pounding. “It’s okay now, Zoro. You’re safe.”

That’s when an electrified net fell down on Sanji, sending a horrific jolt throughout his entire body, and his world went black.


	2. Part Two

**NEW WORLD**

**UNKNOWN ISLAND**

The first thing Sanji felt was cold. His skin was sweaty from the hot and humid air around him, but the metal on his wrists and ankles was stone-cold. It sent a ripple of gooseflesh up his long limbs, and that’s when he made a second observation: he was naked. Or, nearly naked. He had been undressed to his undershorts, leaving him exposed to the jungle and everything in it. The third and last thing he realized was that he was lying on the dirt floor of a crude hut, and that half-a-dozen ragtag pirates were going through his clothes in search of valuables. One of them held the Baby Den Den Mushi in his gloved hand, while another one pulled a cigarette from Sanji’s pack and lit it with his lighter.

“H-Hey—!” he croaked. His throat felt raw. “Don’t t-touch that! It’s— _cough cough_ —mine!”

The pirate had dark skin and piercing eyes. He spared Sanji an uninterested glance and continued to puff on the cigarette. “You won’t be needing it,” he said.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’ll be dead soon!” laughed a sunburned blonde. The smoker rolled his eyes.

Sanji scowled and pulled uselessly at his restraints, rolling a little as he did. The metal cuffs pinched his skin, crushing and cold. It felt like the pressure of deep water. _Seastone_ , he realized, and sagged in defeat.

Bright Eyes was watching him, now. Sanji didn’t like his lingering look.

“Give me back my clothes!” he demanded, pushing himself by elbows and knees into a sitting position.

The pirate blew-out smoke. “You won’t be needing those either,” he said, making his comrades chuckle.

Sanji narrowed his eyes, then changed tactic. He took a deep, calming breath and let his shoulders drop into a less rigid posture. “ _Pft_ , whatever,” he said, feigning nonchalance. “It’s your funeral, after all. See, I’m my crew’s only cook, and my captain is a glutton of the highest calibre. And when idiots like you get between him and his next meal… well, those idiots tend to get hurt.”

Sanji smiled in threat, but the pirates remained unintimidated.

“Ah, fuck,” said the blonde.

“Just the cook? Damn,” cursed Bright Eyes. He dropped the smouldering cigarette and crushed it underfoot. “I thought we’d caught someone important.”

Sanji’s smile fell into a tight, angry line. “ _Take that back_ ,” he said, clenching his fists.

“Or, what? You’ll bake me a cake, _Cook_?”

The pirates laughed.

“It’s no wonder he’s got no valuables,” said the blonde, tossing Sanji’s discarded clothes aside, “if he’s just a worthless cook.”

“ _Take it back_!” Sanji snapped, leaping to his feet.

The sudden movement took the pirates by surprise. They hadn’t expected acrobatics from their captive; nor did they expect his flexibility, able to loop his legs through his arms so that his cuffed hands were now in front of him. They seemed to think the heavy cuffs would incapacitate him, but, while they _were_ a nuisance, Sanji was no ordinary captive. He planted his hands on the ground and swung his lithe body in a single, graceful arc, bringing his bound legs down hard upon the blonde pirate’s head. The man went down with a muffled gurgle, then his comrades attacked.

“ _Get him_!”

Sanji executed a backflip, then kicked-out again. His feet slammed into the yielding flesh of soft stomach and another pirate collapsed. Someone else grabbed him from behind, throwing his thick arms around Sanji’s shoulders and squeezing tight. Sanji struggled for a second, then pushed his weight back against his captor, using the angle of his body and the momentum to kick-up his legs and flip over the bigger man’s head, landing behind him.

“ _What the fuck_ are _you_?” he gasped.

Sanji smirked. “I told you: I’m a cook.”

The last two pirates charged at him, but it was Bright Eyes who caught his attention. He was standing by the hut’s door, a look of disgruntled disgust on his face as he peered down at Zoro’s heart in his hand.

“ _No_ — _don’t_!” Sanji gasped, forgetting himself. He lunged at the pirate, but the other two caught his arms and held him firmly in place. His body stiffened in fearful cooperation, glancing from Zoro’s heart to Bright Eyes’ curious gaze. “Please,” he begged, “don’t hurt it.”

“Hurt it—? _Eww_ , gross!” said the pirate on Sanji’s right.

“Is that a human heart?” said the one on his left. “Oh, weird, it’s still beating! Does that mean it’s alive?”

“Is it _his_?” they asked, jostling Sanji.

Sanji ignored them. His attention was fixed on Zoro’s glistening heart. It looked defenceless in Bright Eyes’ hand. If he charged, could he retrieve it before—

—the man’s fist constricted, causing the heartbeat to momentarily cease.

“ _No_!” Sanji cried, struggling on instinct.

Bright Eyes’ look was analytical, now. He seemed to assess Sanji for a minute, then said: “It’s not yours, is it?

“Who’s is it?” he asked when Sanji didn’t answer. “Why do you have someone’s beating heart in your pocket? Are you a collector? Or, maybe you plan to cook it, _Cook_?”

Sanji clenched his jaw and his fists, but he stayed silent. If the pirate discovered the truth, that the heart he held belonged to the swordsman who had decimated his crew on the beach, he would destroy it to destroy the threat that Zoro posed. Instead, Sanji had to make him believe the heart belonged to someone more _valuable_ , since ransom seemed to be this crew’s goal. Could he lie and tell them Zoro was a prince? (Sanji almost snorted at the thought.) No, it had to be a believable lie, and even though the _Thousand Sunny_ was an amazing ship, it was not the ship of royalty.

“It’s rude to ignore someone when they’re speaking to you,” said Bright Eyes, glaring in annoyance at Sanji. “It tends to offend people.”

He crushed the heart in his fist again and Sanji flinched. He thought of Zoro somewhere in the jungle, falling to his knees and clutching his chest, crying-out, writhing on the ground in pain, lost and alone and thinking that Sanji had abandoned him.

“What do you want?” he said evenly.

Bright Eyes frowned. “Excuse me?”

Sanji glared at him. “I’ll do it, okay? Anything. So, what do you want?”

“Oh?” A sick smile curled Bright Eyes’ lips as his annoyance melted into amusement. He tossed the heart up, then caught it. (Why did people keep doing that? Didn’t they know how delicate it was?!) “This must be someone very important to you, if you’re willing to do anything to keep them safe.” His eyeteeth flashed wickedly as he advanced on Sanji, holding the heart out in front of him so that it was inches away from Sanji’s face when he stopped. Sanji could hear the faint, slow beat and smell the warm blood circulating within it. “On your knees,” Bright Eyes ordered, then kicked Sanji before he could comply. Sanji grimaced, but obeyed and lowered himself down. “Good,” said the pirate. “Now, tell us how weak and worthless you are, Cook. Tell us that cooks aren’t strong or smart and don’t matter at all.”

“ _Say it_ ,” said his comrade, grabbing a fistful of Sanji’s hair and jerking his head up.

“ _Say that cooks are worthless_ ,” said the other, snickering.

Sanji shook with rage. He wouldn’t say it—he _couldn’t_. The words got stuck in his throat, because they were _wrong_. No one knew better than he did how valuable food was, and that included everyone who worked with it. From the farmer who grew it, to the grocer who sold it, to the cook who prepared it, to the waiter who served it; every single person involved in the production of feeding people was _important_ , and it went against everything Sanji believed in to say otherwise. Zeff would be ashamed of him, if he did. Sanji would be ashamed of himself. And yet—

“ _Say it_ ,” said Bright Eyes, pressing the tip of a knife to the vulnerable musculature of Zoro’s left ventricle. “ _Say that cooks are worthless_.”

Sanji swallowed, feeling sick. In a soft, defeated voice, he said: “Cooks… Cooks are…”

“ _Cooks are_ —?” they urged.

“… _worthless_ ,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

The pirates laughed in triumph. Then the back wall exploded.

* * *

 _Rengoku Oni Giri_!”

Sanji had never been so glad to hear those words.

The powerful blast sent he and his captors sprawling across the ground, but, unlike his captors, Sanji’s fast reflexes meant that he landed unharmed. He quickly retrieved Zoro’s heart from where it had fallen and then took the opportunity to kick his chief tormentor in the groin. “ _Cooks are_ not _worthless_!” he yelled. Then gunshots were firing as reinforcements arrived, and the hut was on fire, and Zoro was behind Sanji, hauling him to his feet.

“Come on!” he said, pulling Sanji into a run.

“Wait, Zo— _Ah_!”

Sanji pitched forward and would’ve fallen flat on his face if Zoro hadn’t caught him. Instead, he fell face-first against Zoro’s chest, and it was then that the swordsman saw the cook’s cuffed limbs.

“Stay still,” he said, standing Sanji upright.

Sanji frowned at him, then shrieked when _Shusui_ slashed toward him. The blade clanged loudly off the metal at his ankles, causing sparks.

“ _What the hell_ , _moss-head_? _Just stop—STOP_!” he yelled, hopping backward before Zoro could try again. “It’s seastone! You can’t cut seastone!”

Zoro glared at the offending, unscathed cuffs. Then he grabbed Sanji around the waist and threw him unceremoniously over his shoulder. Sanji squawked in indignation, but his voice was soon drowned beneath the barrage of gunshots that chased their retreat.

“You’ve got it, right?” Zoro called to him.

Sanji hugged the caged heart to his chest. “Yes!”

“ _There they are_!”

“ _After them_!”

“ _Don’t let them get away_!”

Zoro crashed noisily through the jungle, heedless of his unhappy passenger. Sanji learnt quickly to keep his head down and his elbows tucked in, because the swordsman was not going to avoid low-hanging branches and vines for his sake. It was a bumpy ride, and Sanji didn’t know which direction they were headed in, but the sound of pursuit was rapidly fading as the trees closed in around them.

“ _Ow_! _Watch it_ , _moss-head_!” Sanji snapped, feeling the sting of vines across his back.

“Why are you naked?” Zoro asked instead.

“Why do you think? I got robbed!”

His clothes, his money, his lighter and cigarettes, the torch, and the Den Den Mushi—all of it was gone, now, which meant Zoro and Sanji had no way of communicating with the Sunny.

“Why did you get robbed?” Zoro asked, slowing his pace.

Sanji scowled, though Zoro couldn’t see it. “Do you think I _meant_ to get robbed? Do you think I _wanted_ to end up naked in a shabby hut surrounded by pirates?”

Zoro shrugged, jostling Sanji.

“Well, I _didn’t_ ,” he continued irritably. “I got robbed because I was trying to protect _your_ stupid heart!”

“They’re ex-marines,” Zoro said, tactlessly changing the subject. “That, or they robbed some marines. I saw their ship anchored in a harbour that way—” he pointed to the volcanic centre of the island; Sanji rolled his eyes, “—and it was a marine vessel.”

“That explains the seastone cuffs and canons,” Sanji mused. “They must’ve taken this island for their base, and now we’re intruding on their territory.”

Zoro grunted, noncommittal. He was walking at a leisurely pace now, and using _Shusui_ to cut a path through the thick undergrowth. It must have been past dawn, but the jungle was still dark. Sanji looked up to find the sky grey and the sun blocked by ominous clouds. A raindrop hit his face and rolled down his cheek, then another, and another in rapid succession. It began as a patter, but soon developed into a downpour that had Zoro hurrying to find shelter beneath a rocky ledge overgrown with creepers. There, he finally dropped Sanji: “ _Oof—_!

“Hey!” Sanji grumbled, but stopped when Zoro’s green coat was dropped on top of him.

“You’re freezing,” Zoro said in explanation. He draped the coat over Sanji’s shoulders and tied it at his waist, all without looking at the cook’s face. Then he sat down against the rock—shirtless now; three swords at his side—and closed his good eye.

Sanji shivered and fidgeted awkwardly for a moment, then sat down beside him. He pulled the coat up closer around him, grateful for its weight and warmth; warmed by body-heat, and damp with rain and sweat. On a different day, it would’ve repulsed him—it desperately wanted laundering—but he was too grateful right now to complain. After a long silence, interrupted only by rainfall, he said:

“Thanks. Um, for—you know. Coming after me.”

“Actually,” said Zoro, opening his eye, “I was trying to get back to the Sunny.”

“Oh.”

That shouldn’t have felt like a punch, but it did. Sanji felt it deep in his stomach, a hollow disappointment he hadn’t expected. He and Zoro weren’t exactly friends, but they _were_ crewmates, right? They were _nakama_ , which is why Sanji had tried so hard to protect Zoro’s heart; why he had been desperate to fix his mistake. And, well—he didn’t _not_ care about Zoro. He certainly didn’t want the man to _die_ , and he had thought that Zoro felt the same about him.

“Oh. Right,” he repeated, forcing a short, mirthless laugh. “I should’ve known you’d get lost if left alone.”

“Shut up, Cook,” said Zoro. “There’s something wrong with this island. Things aren’t where they should be.”

“ _You’re_ not where you should be,” muttered Sanji.

“I felt it here,” continued Zoro. He pointed to the black hole in his chest. “It was painful, like something was crushing my heart, and you wouldn’t do that, so I knew you must be in danger. I didn’t know how long I had until the pain killed me, so I was trying to get back to the crew to tell them, so they could help you.”

His tone was even, matter-of-fact, but he didn’t look at Sanji as he spoke. He rested his elbows on his knees and stared ahead at the sheets of rain.

It took Sanji a moment to understand. “So, you were going back to the Sunny to _save_ me?”

Zoro shrugged. A flush crept up the back of his neck, but Sanji didn’t comment. He was too relieved and—happy.

“Thanks, _marimo_. I didn’t know you cared,” he teased, bumping Zoro with his shoulder.

Zoro bumped him back, too hard—Sanji nearly toppled sideways—and chuckled, his voice low and rumbling. It was a nice sound. It relaxed Sanji, who didn’t move away from his crewmate. Zoro’s body-heat was inviting and his presence made Sanji feel calm. He made all of the Straw Hats feel safe, whether they admitted it or not. If not Luffy, it was Zoro whom they called for in a crisis; Zoro whose strength and conviction protected them and made them feel like everything would be okay, as long as he was there. Sanji rarely saw him get angry or overwhelmed, and he didn’t think he had _ever_ seen Zoro scared. _He’s too stupid to be scared_ , Sanji had said more than once, but he’d never really believed it. The truth was, he kind of, maybe admired Zoro’s composure, and kind of, maybe felt safe with him, too.

He looked down at the heart in his cuffed hands, a little bruised but still strong and beating, and he smiled.

“Here,” he said, holding it out.

Zoro glanced briefly at it. “You keep it,” he said.

Sanji blinked. “What? Why?”

“Because it’ll be safer with you, at least until Law can put it back.”

Sanji nodded, slow and thoughtful. He didn’t think he would be so confident about someone else having _his_ heart in their possession, and he didn’t know if he ought to be flattered by the swordsman’s trust, or to lecture him for his recklessness. His own heart chose the former, however, because it was beating fast again, and Sanji could feel his cheeks heating in—what? Embarrassment? Affection? Pride? He didn’t know. He hadn’t asked to be responsible for Zoro’s heart, but the thought of anyone else having it now made him feel anxious.

“Yeah,” he agreed, tucking the heart safely into the coat. “Good idea. You’d probably lose it.”

Rather than answer, Zoro stood. “I think the rain’s letting up. We should go,” he said, offering Sanji his hand.

Sanji took it. “So, um, how are we going to—?” He gestured to his bound legs.

Zoro considered Sanji’s predicament for a second, then dismissed it. Without warning, he scooped the cook into his arms and set off.

“ _Whoa_ —wait!” Sanji wriggled, pushing against Zoro’s chest. “This isn’t what I meant! Put me down!”

“Why?”

“Because it’s humiliating!” Sanji cried, scarlet from ear-to-ear.

Zoro looked down at him, one eyebrow cocked. “More humiliating than being over my shoulder? Or, better yet, why don’t I just drag you by your feet?”

“Shut up, moss-head!

_"Urgh_ , just walk,” Sanji huffed in sullen surrender. He tried to cross his arms to demonstrate his displeasure, but the cuffs prevented him, which made him pout. He felt like a damsel being carried like this, which annoyed and embarrassed him, because he was supposed to be the _rescuer_ , not the victim. It had been _his_ job to find Zoro, after all, and yet Zoro had been the one to find him—twice! (He really hoped he never had to admit that to the crew.) He exhaled deeply, disappointed with himself, and that’s when he heard it again: that low, amused chuckle that rumbled up from Zoro’s throat and shook his chest. This time, Sanji felt it. And he saw it, too. From this angle, nestled beneath Zoro’s chin, he could see the ghost of a smile on the swordsman’s lips.

“Stop staring at me.”

Sanji’s gaze immediately dropped, mortified that he had been caught.

“You okay, Cook?”

Sanji frowned. “I’m lost in a jungle and entirely dependent on _you_. Of course I’m not okay! But…” he added when Zoro didn’t reply, “…I guess there are worse people to rely on.”

“That’s a winning endorsement from you, Cook.”

“And that’s a big word for you, _marimo_.”

The swordsman’s face screwed into a half-scowl, half-smile that made Sanji burst out laughing. Zoro jostled him, then threatened to drop him again, so Sanji looped his arms over Zoro’s head with a triumphant: “ _Ha_! Try to drop me now, _marimo_!” Zoro paused and give him a strange look before he relented and kept walking. Sanji smiled smugly at his victory, then realized how much more comfortable his position was now, cradled against Zoro’s body instead of slumped in his arms. It’s not like he could go anywhere; might as well relax. _Ah_ , _fuck it_ , he thought, and laid his head down on his crewmate’s shoulder. Zoro immediately adjusted his grip, sliding his hand down to hold Sanji around the waist.

“God, I’m tired,” Sanji sighed. He hadn’t slept since before Punk Hazard.

“You can sleep, if you want.”

“And let you steer yourself? Not a chance.”

“You don’t know where we are either,” Zoro argued.

“True, but at least I know what direction to go. And I know the difference between up and down— _Ach_!”

Zoro squeezed his ribs, making him squirm. “ _Ah_! _S-Stop it_!” he gasped, biting back wild laughter. Under no circumstances was Zoro to find out that he was ticklish.

“ _Oi_ ,” he said, catching his breath as he consulted the sky. “Take a right at that big tree up ahead. If we stay on that path, it should take us back to the shore. The right, _marimo._ That’s the side your swords are on.”

“Fuck off, Cook."

* * *

It was midmorning by the time Sanji heard seagulls crying overhead, telling him the shore was close. His eyelids were drooping, his head heavy on Zoro’s shoulder, but he perked-up at the sound.

“That way,” he said, pulling gently on Zoro’s earring to direct him.

Zoro took a step and froze. In an instant, his whole body went rigid and he seemed to stop breathing.

“What?” Sanji asked.

“Don’t move,” Zoro warned. Slowly he looked down, moving as little as possible. “I stepped on a landmine.”

“ _What_?”

Sanji shifted to see it for himself, but Zoro snapped at him: “ _Don’t move_! If our weight changes, even a little, it’ll explode.”

“I know how landmines work! Why did you step on it?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“ _Argh_ , you’re such an idiot! Do you ever pay attention to where you’re going?” Sanji huffed, because it was easier to be annoyed with Zoro than worried for him. “Are you sure it’s a mine?”

“Yes, I can feel it,” said Zoro, glancing down at the fog hanging low and thick around them. That dreaded fog that prevented them from using Armament Haki to protect themselves. Sanji wholeheartedly blamed the Marines for having such weapons and chemicals on their ship in the first place, and then for losing it all to a band of trigger-happy pirates!

He took a deep breath.

“Okay,” he said, thinking frantically. “Okay, we—Okay, um. Okay.”

“Stop saying that.”

“I’m trying to think of a solution!”

“Here’s our solution,” Zoro said, clutching Sanji tighter. “I’m going to throw you over there—”

“ _You are not_!” Sanji snapped, smacking Zoro in the back of the head. “If you let go of me, it’ll explode.”

“If you keep _moving_ ,” Zoro growled, growing impatient, “it’s going to explode anyway! At least my way one of us crawls away unhurt—”

“ _NO_.”

“Then what?” Zoro glared down at him. “What do you want to do about it? We’re standing in the middle of a fucking ambush site. If we stay here doing nothing, it won’t be the mine that kills us. They’ll just shoot us.”

“Okay, okay just— _let me think_.”

“I could cut it.”

“If you cut it, it _explodes_. It’s like a cannonball,” Sanji explained for Zoro’s benefit. “Just because you destroy the shell doesn’t mean the gunpowder won’t explode. If you cut the wrong wires, we’re dead.”

Zoro _harrumphed_ unhappily.

“Okay,” said Sanji after a moment. “Heat. I think I can destroy it with heat. It’ll have to be a lot of heat, and I’ll have to be fast, but—” he swallowed, sweating nervously, “—I think I can do it.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to set the landmine on fire.”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Sanji felt Zoro heave a deep, defeated sigh. Slowly and gently, he let go of Sanji’s legs. “Alright,” he said.

Sanji couldn’t risk putting more or less pressure on the mine, itself, so he stood atop Zoro’s boot, balancing precariously. With his cuffed arms still wrapped around Zoro’s neck and Zoro’s hands on his waist, holding him up, he felt for one bizarre moment like they were playing a party game. _The last couple standing on the dancefloor wins_! He shook his head.

“Okay,” he said one last time. He looked directly at Zoro. “Do you trust me?”

Zoro nodded.

“If I’m not fast enough—If this doesn’t work, I’m sorry for—”

“ _Cook_.”

Sanji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then:

“ _Diable Jambe_!”

He slammed his flaming, white-hot foot down on the mine and crushed it beneath his heel, narrowly missing Zoro’s boot in the process. It melted on impact, and Zoro leapt back, taking Sanji with him. The deadly device fizzled and popped and then everything went unnervingly still. A minute later, Sanji let out his breath.

“Holy shit, that actually worked.”

He looked at Zoro, who stared back in amazement. Then the swordsman’s chest began to shake and a second later he was laughing, which made Sanji laugh in turn.

“I think I singed your coat,” he said, once he’d caught his breath. He glanced down to inspect the hem.

“Better the coat than you or me.”

Sanji grinned in wholehearted agreement.

The relieved laughter quieted into something softer then, and Sanji found himself looking into Zoro’s steel-grey eye. As long as he was barefoot and Zoro was not, he was four centimetres shorter than the swordsman, but he found he didn’t mind looking up. He didn’t mind that they were standing so close together, or that Zoro’s hands were still on his waist. He felt himself blushing as he removed his arms from around Zoro’s neck and, with nowhere else to put them, held them between he and Zoro instead, skin-to-skin-to-skin draped with a weathered green coat. Zoro’s warm body was sweaty and jagged where his scar cut across his chest, but Sanji didn’t pull away. He was even starting to get used to the gaping hole in the man's chest, which didn’t seem so malicious when he could feel Zoro’s heart beating solidly against his. Zoro’s heart was beating faster than Sanji had ever felt it, but his was pounding too. The difference was, Zoro couldn’t feel _his_.

Sanji opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, unsure what he wanted to say.

Zoro stared back at him, attentive as a hunter. A slight breeze jingled his earrings, carrying the sharp scent of gunpowder.

Sanji licked his lips and tried again:

“Zoro, I—”

That was as far as he got before Zoro threw him into the undergrowth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was no good reason for Sanji to lose his clothes in this chapter, except that I like Sanji in Zoro’s coat and I like Zoro shirtless even better. And I’m the author, so I can do that. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	3. Part Three

**NEW WORLD**

**UNKNOWN ISLAND**

Sanji landed hard, but his scathing profanities were overwhelmed by a barrage of gunshots.

_BANG_!

_Zoro_!

Heart pounding, he crawled gracelessly to his knees and peeked between the prickly branches. Zoro stood in the centre of an ambush, stance wide and swords drawn. He glared at the pirates—a few dozen, at least—looking more put-out by the interruption than the actual attack. He clenched his teeth around _Wado Ichimonji_ and lashed-out with _Sandai Kitetsu_ and _Shusui_ to deflect another volley of bullets, moving so fast that Sanji lost track of his movements. He couldn’t tell where Zoro’s arms ended and his swords began; they were a flash of metal, then a slash of blood. It wasn’t often that Sanji got to watch Zoro fight from the sidelines, and he hated and regretted being left out now, but it was also kind of mesmerizing watching the swordsman do what he was trained for; what he was _made_ for. His swords gleamed in the pale sunlight, guiding Sanji’s gaze down the sharp blades to the handles, then up Zoro’s muscular arms to his shoulders, across his collarbone and down the rugged terrain of his chest and stomach to meet the movement of his hips. Sanji had never paid attention to Zoro’s footwork before, since his performance was all upper-body, but his legs were strong and his footing was swift and surprisingly deft. Every move he made was so precise that Sanji found himself thinking Zoro would make a decent dancer if he cared enough to try. His technique was beautiful in its own brutal way, and his body possessed the dangerous sinew and grace of a tiger.

Sanji bit his lip.

Then he blinked and the moment was gone. The ambush was broken and most of the pirates lay bleeding on the ground in defeat, all except for three. Bright Eyes was one, holding duel pistols. There was also a gaseous Devil Fruit user with silver skin. And the last man was the captain, who wore a tall hat to denote his rank, and carried a long musket with a longer bayonet.

“That’s the one!” said Bright Eyes, pointing at Zoro. “He attacked us on the beach! Then he ran off with that worthless cook—”

Zoro silenced him with a _Hyakuhachi Pound Ho_! He fell with a scream, leaving the Devil Fruit user and the captain staring in shock.

The swordsman’s tone was sharp and dangerous. “Our cook is _not_ worthless,” he said.

Sanji felt his heart swell with affection, then pride. Then the Devil Fruit user lifted his silvery hands like an orchestra conductor and the fog began to rise. Sanji felt it immediately, the chemical being condensed into something thick and heavy. He felt it pushing down on him, covering his body. He breathed in and felt it in his lungs, making it hard to breathe and even harder to see.

_BANG_! _BANG_!

Sanji instinctively covered his head, but the bullets weren’t meant for him. He was hidden. Zoro was not.

“ _Zoro_?” he called, afraid to raise his voice. He didn’t like not knowing where the enemy was, whether by Haki or his own sight. He could feel Zoro’s heart beating against his chest, so he knew the man was alive, but his heartrate gave no indication of his well-being. It was fast, but not in panic. It was irregular, but not in nervousness. It felt like physical exertion, except that Zoro’s heart was strong and trained for athletics, so it couldn’t possibly be pounding so hard in exhaustion. The only logical conclusion was that Zoro’s heart was strained by the chemical filling his insides, just like Sanji’s was.

_We’ve got to get rid of this fog_ , he thought. But first, he had to find Zoro and pull him to safety.

_BOOM_!

“ _Zoro—_?” Sanji called, a little louder.

A hand clamped down on his mouth. “ _Mmf_!”

He started to scream, then changed tactic and bit down.

“ _Ow_!”

“ _Marimo_!” said Sanji in relief. “Where are you? I can’t see you—”

“ _Shut up_!” Zoro whispered harshly. A moment later, Sanji’s groping hands met Zoro’s arm and he clutched it tight. Zoro drew him in until their bodies collided. “ _Be quiet_ ,” he warned. “ _That captain can’t see in this fog any more than we can._ ”

“ _What about the Devil Fruit user_?”

Zoro exhaled; Sanji felt it on his face. He didn’t realize they were so close. Then Zoro spoke again and Sanji felt the whisper of his lips brush his nose, so he turned his face away. Instead, Zoro’s low voice tickled his ear.

“I don’t think his Devil Fruit will work in sunlight,” he said.

“Oh good, so all we have to do to beat him is control _the sun_. No problem, I’ll just grab my trusty Clima-Tact and—Oh wait, I’m _not_ Nami-san,” said Sanji sarcastically.

“Not the _actual_ sun, you idiot. Just _light_. _Heat. Fire_.”

“That’s very good, _marimo_. Soon you’ll be forming full sentences—”

Zoro pressed his hand to Sanji’s mouth again and said, very deliberately: “ _Your_ fire. I need you to make as much fire as you can, like you did on Fishman Island.”

Sanji’s eyes widened. He had called it _Hell Memories_ then, because the inferno had been born of his negative emotions. It was the strongest fire attack he had ever used and yet Zoro had thought of it instead of him. Zoro had remembered it.

“When you destroyed that landmine, the fog vanished,” Zoro continued. “It was burned away. Do that to the source and it goes away completely.”

Sanji was nodding even before Zoro lowered his hand. “There’s just one problem,” he said, raising his hands. “I’m still cuffed. How can I defend myself if I can’t move?”

“You won’t have to.”

Sanji frowned. “Why not?”

“Because,” said Zoro, taking Sanji’s hand, “I won’t let them near you.”

* * *

Sanji held tight to Zoro as they emerged from the undergrowth, Zoro carrying him. He still couldn’t see anything, but he felt the pull and shift of the swordsman’s body, guiding them both.

_It’s like flipping a switch_ , he thought in amazement. Zoro had the worst sense of direction in the world until he needed it for combat, then his training and instincts took over and he was able to _sense_ where to go and what to do. He really was more alike a wild animal in that way, hunting prey in a deadly environment. If the fog bothered Zoro, he didn’t show any outward sign of it. Only his strained heartbeat betrayed him.

Sanji, on the other hand, was finding it hard to breathe with the chemical in his lungs. He didn’t think it was poisonous, because the Devil Fruit user’s crew was affected by it, too, and they hadn’t dropped dead yet, but it still felt like breathing in wet smoke, which made everything he did feel sluggish and delayed. He only hoped it didn’t affect his attack. Smoke choked fire, after all, and Sanji would need to summon a lot of fire in order to defeat this enemy.

Zoro stopped and put Sanji down. He didn’t speak, but he squeezed Sanji’s shoulder before letting go. Then he was gone and Sanji was alone in the jungle, blind and unguarded, but not unprotected. He took a deep, wheezing breath, and started with:

“ _Diable Jambe_!”

The fog around him burned away, creating a halo of light.

_More_ , _it has to be much more_.

He spun in a graceful circle, trying to gain more momentum—more heat. He jumped high into the air, once, twice, then flipped backwards and landed in a flower of orange flame. The halo around him extended outward, but it wasn’t nearly enough to fuel an inferno.

He saw movement in the fog and cursed. A shot fired, but it pinged off the blade of Zoro’s sword.

Sanji tried again.

The last time he had summoned _Hell Memories_ he had been angry, _very_ angry, and the fire had responded. He was not like Zoro in that way, whose attacks were entirely controlled. Sanji didn’t train enough for that. He spent more time developing his cooking instead of his combat skills, and because of that his attacks were more unstable and susceptible to his emotions. It made his fire attacks imprecise, but powerful. If only he could fuel it—

_BANG_! _BANG_!

Sanji grit his teeth. These pirates had attacked them for no reason. They had robbed him and insulted him and left him goddamn naked in the middle of the jungle. They had forced him to lie and deny his worth as a cook—Oh yes, that was working. Sanji could feel anger heating his blood, making the fire grow. He was still embarrassed by his capture and the position they had put him in. He was ashamed that he had succumb to the taunts and ridicule. But mostly—surprisingly—he was _fucking pissed_ that they had put his crewmate in such terrible danger. They had almost killed Zoro when there was nothing Zoro could do to defend himself, and all for the sake of a cruel taunt! It made Sanji’s insides _burn_.

A pillar of fire erupted, eating the fog. A dozen gunshots fired at him, but ricocheted off Zoro’s swords as he leapt in front of Sanji to shield him. Sanji willed the fire to burn brighter and hotter, determined to prove that _he_ was not worthless, and that his crew—his _nakama_ —was not weak! He searched for his target in the glow, pushing the fog back into the deeper recesses of the jungle. He saw movement, then the Devil Fruit user’s silver hand closed into a fist. Sanji’s fire fended off the attack, surrounding him, but Zoro fell to one knee. He was several meters ahead of Sanji, facing the enemy captain, but his breathing was laboured and his limbs trembled. It was obvious he couldn’t breathe. The fog was choking him, even as he struggled back to his feet to meet the next attack.

_Ba-dump… Ba-dump… Ba…_

Sanji felt Zoro’s heartbeat slow. He saw _Wado_ fall to the ground.

Then he saw the Devil Fruit user hiding behind a tree, using his fog to crush the breathe from Zoro’s lungs.

The next few seconds happened simultaneously. The enemy captain fired at Sanji. Zoro leapt in front of Sanji to protect him. And Sanji sent a blast of rage-filled hellfire directly at the Devil Fruit user, which set the pirate and the surrounding jungle aflame. A scream pierced the sky before the roar of fire consumed it and, just like that, the fog was gone. The Devil Fruit user fell to the ground, burnt to a crisp, and his captain stumbled back in retreat.

“What the hell _are_ you?” he gasped, gaping at Sanji.

Zoro retrieved _Wado_ and grinned wickedly at the man. “He’s our cook,” he said.

Frightened, now—and free from his crewmate’s handicap—the captain coated his body and weapon in Haki. Zoro did the same and charged at him before Sanji could advise against it. Running in a straight line toward an enemy using a powerful firearm was not a good strategy, no matter how strong Zoro thought he was, because even if he did win the encounter, he would still, most likely, get hurt. However, if Luffy’s problem-solving consisted of: _hit harder_ , then Zoro’s only strategy was: _cut more_. Sanji had barely begun to speak—“Zoro, wait—!”—before the swordsman was upon the enemy captain, fighting Haki-coated bullets with Haki-coated blades.

_Reckless idiot_! Sanji cursed. He, himself, could see a dozen better ways to approach the enemy; a dozen other ways to use the environment to his advantage and turn the enemy’s prior strength against him. But no, Zoro met the enemy head-on, running straight into the attack with his swords raised, as if he had only been waiting for an opening until now, completely unfettered and unafraid of being shot—

“ _Zoro_!” Sanji cried-out.

Zoro had deflected the enemy’s bullets only to be stabbed in the chest with the musket bayonet. It was stupid and careless and… it didn’t slow Zoro down at all. Still grinning, he sliced a wicked X across the enemy’s body, and the man fell with a wet scream.

“Zoro, you idiot!” Sanji said, frantically hopping as fast as he could toward his crewmate. “You could’ve easily dodged that attack!”

“No need,” Zoro replied.

Sanji grimaced. “Why? Do you _like_ getting cut up, you masochistic bastard? How are you even still standing after being stabbed through… the… heart…”

He trailed off when Zoro turned around, pulling the bayonet out of the empty hole in his chest. His front was covered in the enemy’s blood, but otherwise he was perfectly unharmed. The cocky grin on his face both relieved and infuriated Sanji.

“You idiot!” he repeated, bonking Zoro on the head with both his cuffed fists.

Zoro laughed in reply and wiped his chin, smearing the blood across his face.

Sanji sighed and pulled Zoro’s bandana from the pocket of his coat. “You really are a brute, you know that?” he said as he wiped Zoro’s face clean of blood. Then he tossed the soiled cloth at him, and added: “The beach isn’t far.”

“You going to hop the whole way?”

“Touch me and die,” Sanji countered, eyeing Zoro’s bloody hands and torso. He dodged a playful grab, and shouted: “I mean it, moss-head! I’ll feed your heart to the fish if you touch me!”

Zoro’s laughter quieted and he regarded Sanji for a moment before walking ahead of him.

“Thanks,” he said, “for keeping it safe.”

Sanji was glad that Zoro didn’t look back. He didn’t want Zoro to see him reflexively raise a hand to his chest, where both his and Zoro’s hearts beat contently side-by-side. He didn’t want Zoro to see the annoyance become relief on his face. He didn’t want Zoro to see how worried he had been, believing that he could’ve lost the swordsman, and that it would’ve been entirely his fault if he had. His own heart felt tender, now, as he stared at Zoro’s back—clean and unmarked—as if his, and not Zoro’s, had taken a beating. He had always known that it would someday hurt to lose a crewmate, a member of his family, and he had been worried for his _nakama_ before, but—Not like this. In the second he had thought Zoro stabbed through the heart, a sharp, debilitating pain had consumed him and—just for a second—he felt as if his whole world had stopped. It was shocking, and the echoes of it still hurt. But mostly it scared him.

“Cook?”

“Yeah, s-sure,” Sanji stuttered. “Of course I kept your heart safe. But I didn’t do it just for _you_ , you know. I mean, the crew would’ve been upset if you… you know, died or… or something.”

“Yeah,” said Zoro, still without turning.

The sober tone of his voice made Sanji feel guilty for lying, and he regretted the returning distance between them the closer they got to the Sunny. The loss of what little intimacy they had shared left him feeling absurdly cold and empty, now, and he had the disheartening feeling that he had just let go of something he shouldn’t have.

“Hop faster, Cook, or I’ll leave you behind.”

Sanji swallowed.

“No, you won’t,” he said, forcing a teasing tone he didn’t feel. “Because I have your heart.”

Finally, Zoro looked back at him. “Yeah,” he said again, then kept walking.

* * *

The crew was relieved and confused by the sight of their wayward companions. Zoro was soaked from head-to-toe and had a hole in his chest, and he was carrying a dry Sanji, who was handcuffed and wearing the swordsman’s green coat. Sanji tried to avoid eye-contact with anyone as they approached the Sunny, but he could still feel his face heating in embarrassed betrayal.

“Put me down,” he said to Zoro, pushing against him.

Zoro dropped him, but this time Sanji was ready for it and he landed on his feet.

“What happened?” asked Usopp, who was concerned; and Luffy, who wasn’t.

Zoro merely shrugged, so the crew turned to Sanji for an explanation.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” said the cook, trying—and failing—to cross his arms sullenly. When he spotted Law, he pointed both cuffed hands at him in accusation. “ _You_!” he said angrily, finding a target for all of his confused emotions. He took Zoro’s heart from inside the coat and held it out to the surgeon.

“ _Eww_!” said Nami, wrinkling her nose.

Sanji shoved it at Law. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through because of you? Because of _this_?” he said, waving the heart. “Do you know how hard it is to keep an amputated organ safe from wild animals and pirates and reckless idiots in the middle of a goddamn jungle? And it was all because of _you_! You and your stupid, arrogant bet! So, before anything else happens, please— _please_ —Put. It. Back!”

Law took the caged heart with a cocked eyebrow. Then he walked over to Zoro and indelicately pushed it into the swordsman’s chest.

“ _Ah_!” Zoro’s face contorted and he clutched his chest, but it was over quickly.

Sanji felt as if a weight had been lifted, satisfied, now, in the knowledge that Zoro’s heart was back inside his body where it belonged. It was _his_ problem, now. Sanji would never have to keep Zoro’s heart safe again…

“Right,” he said, shaking off any lingering feelings of uncertainty. He was careful not to look at Zoro. “Now, if someone would be so kind as to un-cuff me, I desperately need a bath and a nap before we reach Dressrosa.”

Again, Law lifted his hand. “ _ROOM_ ,” he said, immediately followed by: “ _Shambles_!”

Sanji had the unpleasant experience of watching his hands, and then his feet, detach from his body while the seastone cuffs were removed, then reattached to his body in a painless surgery a person would have to see to believe.

“Thank-you,” he said curtly, and headed for the ship.

“Just so you know,” said Law as Sanji passed him, “you or Zoro could’ve put his heart back in at any time.”

Sanji froze.

He slowly turned around. He saw Law, and then Zoro. Then he said:

“ _MOTHERFU—_ ”

* * *

**THE END**

**THANK-YOU for reading. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized by the end that my fictitious Devil Fruit user was basically Caesar 2.0, which I do regret—it’s not very creative—but the story wasn’t about him, and I’m kind of exhausted, so I left it as is. I guess this is a cautionary tale of what happens when you start writing a story with a vague idea and very little planning aside from: ‘ZoSan are cute and funny and they go on an adventure.’ Haha… n_n”


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